Major honours
Known as the 'Morenas del Caribe,' the Cuban women's national team was one of the most dominant sides in volleyball history. Shorter on average than their European rivals, they compensated with jumping ability, power and blocking, winning three straight Olympic golds at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, a three-peat no team has repeated in indoor volleyball since. That run also included World Championships in 1978, 1994 and 1998 and four consecutive World Cups from 1989 to 1999. Middle blocker Regla Torres, who won her first Olympic gold at 16, was named the FIVB's Female Player of the 20th Century, alongside Mireya Luis and Regla Bell. The men's team peaked with bronze at Montreal in 1976 and a top world ranking around 2010. Since the mid-2000s, a wave of player defections has sharply weakened both national teams, and Cuba's finest recent talent, Wilfredo Leon, now plays for Poland.
Record comparison
Bars are scaled to the strongest team in this list.
Club legends
Rivalry
Russia, China and Brazil took turns as challengers throughout the 1990s, and the 2000 Sydney final against Russia, which Cuba won after dropping the first two sets, was both the final chapter of the Cuban dynasty and its most dramatic moment.